Songs Sweet and Simple

Songs Sweet and Simple: Making Music with the Mountain Dulcimer

By Mary Amato
Issue 102, September/October 2000

As a child, I took a few violin and piano lessons but never got past awkward plucking and plunking. As a teenager, I strummed my sister's guitar in the hopes of becoming another Joni Mitchell--but my fingers just would not cooperate. So with great joy, at 39, I'm finally connecting with a musical instrument. And, best of all, I'm sharing the learning process with my children.

Nine years ago my husband and I bought a mountain dulcimer for our wedding anniversary as a lark: it looked charming and was inexpensive (as far as instruments go). We figured if we couldn't learn to play it, it would look fabulous hanging on the wall. And that was pretty much where it stayed, until we had kids. As soon as my first child came, I started singing--morning, noon, and night. Folk songs, chants, hymns, lullabies. Motivated to make more music, I got the dulcimer down, opened my "how to play the dulcimer" book, and taught myself to play everything from Mother Goose to the Beatles. Now I am teaching my sons--ages four and six--how to play, too.

Mountain dulcimers are lightweight wooden instruments with only three or four strings; they look like guitars on a diet. To play, you place the dulcimer on your lap (sometimes they're called lap dulcimers). With your right hand, you strum a simple rhythm--much like a guitar--while you press one or more strings down on the fret board with the left hand.

The mountain dulcimer is a family-friendly instrument that, unfortunately, isn't that commonly played. Lots of parents who spend money on instruments and lessons overlook it, despite the following virtues:

Cheap to Own. You can buy a good-quality beginner's dulcimer for as low as $49.00 (see box) and a professional-quality dulcimer for about $250.

Easy to Learn. With a good book, you really can teach yourself and your kids to play. Unlike the guitar, you do not have to make chords with your left hand. You can play a simple song by pressing down only the melody string. I've taught kindergarteners how to play "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star" in five minutes flat.

Limitless Musical Possibilities. Once you've mastered the basics, there is always more you can learn: chords, finger-picking, and arranging, for example. The dulcimer can be tuned to different modalities for various sounds. Learning to write tablature, the method dulcimer musicians use to write out their tunes, is easy.

Comfortable to Play. Whereas larger instruments, such as guitars, can feel too big or awkward, the dulcimer sits lightly on absolutely any size lap.

Perfect for Sing-Alongs. Just try bringing a piano on your next camping trip, or singing while playing the recorder, violin, or trumpet! The mountain dulcimer is a true folk instrument that allows the player to easily sing and interact with the group.

Before I learned to play the dulcimer, I dreamed of having sing-alongs at gatherings. Now I make the dream come true by pulling out my dulcimer and sitting down. All it takes is a few strums to get a circle of singers going. I play at my children's schools, church, family reunions, neighborhood picnics, and holiday parties. I bring it whenever I babysit. Once it was the only thing that worked to soothe a toddler with separation anxiety.

Getting Started
To get started as a family, you need a dulcimer, a how-to book, and the desire to learn (see box). My kids' favorite book is Easy as 1-2-3 by David Cross and Sarah Morse. Cross and Morse suggest labeling the first ten frets under the string with stick-on numbers--a sticker with "1" on the first fret, "2" on the second, and so on. Your kids then play by number. For example, to play the phrase "Mary Had a Little Lamb," your child would press the melody string down on frets numbered 5, 4, 3, 4, 5, 5, 5--while strumming. Easy as 1-2-3 has 50 simple tunes by number for beginning dulcimer players.

For many kids under seven, playing an entire melody by number isn't easy--even if it's just a nursery rhyme. In fact, it can be as frustrating as that old pat the head while rubbing the tummy trick. I suggest an even simpler approach: ask younger kids to focus on only one hand at a time. Start with strumming.